A Traitor in Our Midst?

In a highly unusual move in the world of politics, Democrat Joe Lieberman has endorsed Republican John McCain for the presidency.

Now, I know that, technically, Lieberman is no longer a Democrat. He is an Independent senator from Connecticut. That, however, is a change that he was forced to make. In 2006, when he was running for reelection, the Democratic party threw their support behind his primary opponent, Ned Lamont (more on that later). Lamont went on to win the primary, but Lieberman ran (and won) as an Independent in the general election. Joe still considers himself a Democrat, and he still caucuses with the Dems.

So why is he supporting a member of the Grand Old Party? Especially when there are such (arguably) strong Democrats as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama running this year?

According to Lieberman, he has endorsed McCain because the Republican "has the best chance of uniting the country" in the war on terror. One may wonder (and I do) how he came to that conclusion. It could be because, like himself, McCain supports the war in Iraq. But how is that war related to the war on terror? What association did Saddam Hussein have with the terrorists who attacked us on September 11, 2001? The answer to both of those questions is, "nothing".

To me, Lieberman's endorsement is an act of vengeance, and nothing more. However, I do not necessarily fault him for that. In 2006, the Democrats - his party - bailed on him. The entire Democratic establishment backed Lamont in the primary, and again in the general election. Many high-profile Dems, including Senator Obama, publicly campaigned against Lieberman. Thousands of liberal bloggers attacked him as vehemently as they ever have their favorite punching-bag, George W. Bush.

That's got to leave a sour taste in his mouth.

I think Joe knows exactly what he's doing. I think he knows that he has strong support from moderates and undecideds (as evidenced by his ability to win a Senate seat as an Independent). I think he knows that, if John McCain wins the GOP nomination, throwing his moderate supporters behind McCain would do a great deal of damage to the Democratic nominee. I think he know these things, and wants to see them happen. He wants to get back at his old party without looking like a bitter old man in the process.

Is Joe Lieberman a traitor? Or is the Democratic Party to blame? How about both?

What goes around comes around.